Awe, Nice!

Short interviews from people who work outside, about a moment of wonder they experienced. Wonder at Work.

Lisa Schmidt, III 08/01/2026

Lisa Schmidt, II 08/01/2026

Lisa Schmidt, I 08/01/2026

Joe Lanier, II 07/18/2026

Joe Lanier, I 07/18/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 9 07/18/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 9 My name is Maddy Butcher and this is another segment of mini-awe-polis. Reflections from thoughts gathered, like hay in my jacket pockets. This week, the . So you might deduce that I’ve been thinking a lot about drought lately. If you’re listening to this on KSJD or other Rocky Mountain radio stations, as many of you do, I bet you have been thinking a lot about it, too. Mostly, I’ve been thinking about what I can do to make things better for the plants and animals. Mostly, I’ve been thinking about how to reduce their stress. I don’t have a well and I haul water, so that’s challenging, but I’m watering as much as I can afford, that means water for dogs, horses, a few fruit trees, and some trees around the place that I hope will not perish because of no rain. I’m leaving water out for critters, birds and mammals, so they don’t have to venture far to find it. I leave a way for them to climb out, if they fall in. I’ve seen more rattlesnakes and prairie dogs this summer . As I write in the Post: It’s a good year for rattlesnakes, prairie dogs, and weeds. I’m not sure which is more stressful, the drought or the nearby Ferris Fire, which as I record this is 63,000 acres and growing. It started about 10 miles from my place. The smoke has been pretty brutal. Again, I find myself thinking of the animals, killed and displaced. I know fire can bring incredible renewal. But at this stage, it’s hard. Awe, Nice! is dedicated to moments told by folks who work outside, but since summer tends to be the most popular outdoor season and since many of you are spending hours gardening or working on outdoor projects, I’d like to open up Awe Nice to those of you who, while you technically may not earn your livelihood outdoors, you’re still soaking up the outdoors while you can. . Oh, and AweNice also welcomes your support. You can find a donate button on our about page. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl,. Find more of his terrific music from a link at Awenice.com Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/42133875

Alex Marienthal, I 05/29/2026

Alex Marienthal, II 05/29/2026

Kyler Brown 05/29/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 7 05/29/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 7 Welcome to Awe, Nice!, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. We’re on the radio and we’re also on podcast platforms. And you can check us out . My name is Maddy Butcher, I’m the creator and producer of Awe, Nice! and we are entering our second season of this novel radio segment. Lined up, I have interviews with ranchers, an avalanche researcher, a farmer, a working cowboy, and our first Awe, Nice! moment from Canada. I figure it’s time for another segment of Mini-Awe-Polis, a departure from our usual interviews, a snippet of small observations, like hay in my jacket pockets. My horses, dogs, and I did something new and spent several months in Arizona this winter and spring. When we returned to Colorado, there was a multi-species exhale of sorts. Where we were in Arizona was rocky and with hardly any grass, so the horses were happy to return to the soft red dirt and green grass. They have been moving more and also lying down more often, with audible pleasure. The dogs, too, seem happier, freer. It was getting hot down there and the cold nights here have given us all a snap-to spirit. For the horses and dogs, that means more friskiness, more appetite, more soaking up the sun with moments of relaxation whereas in Arizona they’d be seeking shade. There is something to be said for familiarity with one’s surroundings. Arizona was unfamiliar to us and I feel like we all carried a bit of a brace as we experienced the time there. Next time, it will likely feel different. So, when we returned to Colorado, our familiarity added to the pleasing aspect of green grass and open skies. The drought has been on my mind and I’m grateful that the pasture could rest until we showed up. It’s a precarious time to be on working lands. Many ranchers are selling stock to reduce the pressure on their fields. Personally, I’ll be cordoning off sections of pasture, to keep the horses from overgrazing it. For the moment, the wind blows beautifully over healthy grasses and the birds busy the skies with territorial calls and with food in their beaks to feed their young. I anticipate rougher going as summer heats up. May the monsoon season be fruitful. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us . at awenice.com. Awe, Nice! also welcomes your support. You can find a donate button on our . We thank and for their sponsorships. Music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/41464400

Allana Salmon 04/15/2026

Joe Morris, III 04/08/2026

Cooper Hibbard 03/21/2026

Joe Morris, II 03/12/2026

Carol Von Michaelis, II 03/12/2026

Joe Morris, I 03/06/2026

Erin Nissen 03/03/2026

Carol Von Michaelis 02/27/2026

Robert Eversole 02/24/2026

Jeremie Forman, III 02/18/2026

Jeremie Forman, III Welcome to where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and this week we are giving a nod to the 2026 Lunar New Year. It’s the Year of the Horse. Jeremie Forman returns with a story that’s fitting to the celebration. Aside from his work in law enforcement and his running a horse facility, Jeremie is mayor of the small town of Francis, Utah. Population about 2,000. Every year for many years, Jeremie has run the town’s summer rodeo. One year, as he recounts, he wanted to do something special as a presentation to open the rodeo. For his idea, he needed a lot of horses and riders. So, he put the word out on Facebook. But, Jeremie told me, he had to be a bit secretive about his plan. Their rodeo is the last one of the summer in the region. It follows the Summit County rodeo. There’s a Fourth of July rodeo and a Pioneer Days rodeo. He’s found that if he has a good idea and shares it openly, other rodeo planners have copied it and done it before the rodeo in Francis. So, on the QT, Jeremie recruited dozens of volunteers to be part of this production. He borrowed scores of American flags from a local church and made sure everyone could be safe with carrying a flag and riding their horse. His son, Jayce, who stands about 6’6’’, rode a big Percheron gelding and carried an extra large flag. I know there may be listeners for whom patriotism is a challenging idea at a moment when our country is so fractured, but I hope you all listen with an open heart. I was thrilled to hear Jeremie mention Joel Nelson’s poem Equus Caballus, which Wylie Gustufson crafted into the song of the same title. Joel is a horseman from Alpine, Texas, a Vietnam vet, and in 2009 received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He was also nominated for a Grammy in the spoken word category some years ago. The line Jeremie mentions is this: I have suffered gross indignities from users and from winners, I have felt the hand of kindness from the losers and the sinners. I have given for the cruel hand and given for the kind. Heaved a sigh at Appomattox when surrender had been signed. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us . Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button We’d like to thank and for their generous sponsorship. Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/40152210

Jeremie Forman, II 02/05/2026

Jeremie Forman, II Welcome to where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher and we are fast approaching our first year anniversary of being on the air. I want to thank KSJD for taking a chance with me as well as and for extending some help with sponsorship. This week, we return to a recollection with Jeremie Forman of Utah. Aside from his work as a police officer. He and his son run a stable facility and an fledgling outfitting operation. Last week, he told us about a wicked lightning storm in the Uintas. This week, he recounts what followed. Just a bit of help on vernacular, if listeners need it: A pack string is several animals, in this case, horses and mules, that a rider leads. Usually all the equines that aren’t being ridden have big, heavy loads on them. High lining is one way that horses are tied in the back country. It involves running a tight, high line (highter than the horses) and then tying individual horses to that line with another section of rope. A bell mare is like the leader of the pack. She may not be the strongest or biggest, but she is the one who other equines respect and are most bonded with. We pick up after Jeremie, his friends, family and his stock have all weathered a high mountain storm near Red Castle, elevation about 12,000 feet. One of the joys of interviewing people about moments of awe is to hear them reflect on not just that particular experience, but the bigger picture. Zooming out. Jeremie told me for him, backcountry time is just normal. And there are lots of guys, he remarked, who are out there more than he is. But he also knows that lots of people never get to have those kinds of experiences and for some that do, it can be life-changing. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us . Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/40000395

Jeremie Forman, I 01/30/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 6 01/30/2026

Mini-Awe-Polis 6 Welcome to !, where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. My name is Maddy Butcher, I’m the creator and producer of awenice and it’s time for another segment that I call, Mini-Awe-Polis, a collection of observations, like hay in my jacket pockets. If you’ve been listening to lately, you know that we have dedicated several segments to wildland fire fighting, specifically some moments as told by members of Interagency Hot Shot crews, who are elite wildland fire fighters charged with some of the most risky assignments. I think it would be a safe summation to say that their moments of awe were particularly adrenalin-fueled. It got me thinking about what awe means. What does it mean for me? What does it mean for my interviewees? What does it mean for you, dear listener? Roughly, awe for me means a moment in time that’s memorable for what I’m seeing and experiencing with all my senses. Often, but not all the time, moments of awe are around something unexpected, something I have never witnessed before. Or, it could something that starts out as totally expected but then takes a brilliant turn which stops me in my tracks. I have moments of awe that are not adrenalin-y at all. Like seeing Niagara Falls. I have other moments that are quite adrenalin-y. Like seeing my kids run hellbent towards the Niagara River above the falls. This might sound absurd, but when you visit the Falls, you can park in a big parking lot and basically walk right up to the river’s edge. Nothing’s stopping you from walking right in. My memory of seeing the falls will be forever tied to screaming bloody murder as my sons, then four, six, and eight, chased gulls and sprinted towards the current that would horrendously carry them away. It's true, as research tells us, that high emotions can cement, conflate, and even embellish memories that might otherwise fade away. Just so you know, there is no embellishment here. My rotten kids really did run for the river. And Niagara Falls is impressive. It’s loud and you can feel the mist of it on your face from a long ways away. Anyway, I’ve been spending some time in southern Arizona. At night, I take the dogs for a walk and do last call the horses. Sometimes I use a headlamp and when I do, I’ve been catching these little flecks of reflection in the dirt. At first, I thought they were just shiny parts of sand or rock. But they are not. They are the eyes of certain spiders that build burrows and scoot back in them when approached. Pretty cool. Everything here is prickly, spiny, thorny, and pokey. The dogs and horses have figured it out pretty quickly. Me, less so. Often, plants will have the obvious spines but then also less obvious, frankly impossible-to-see spines that might feel okay at first, when you make the mistake of coming into contact with them, but 10 minutes later you’re mumbling and grumbling, shaking your hand and tenderly googling how best to extract prickers you can’t even see. I’m still amazed by how the birds perch and feed on cactus. I don’t live near where there are saguaros. It’s too cold. But I like seeing them. Did you know that it takes about 15 years for a saguaro cactus to grow 12 inches? And it takes another 60 or more years for it to grow an arm. Saguaros serve as some pretty cool homes for birds, who have, of course, figured out the prickers. welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us at awenice.com. By the way, Kershaw knives, makers of some of the best pocket knives out there, has stepped up to sponsor Awe, Nice. Check out the Ken Onion line. They’re excellent. Awe, Nice! also welcomes your support. . Music is by my friend, Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/39689665

Steve Nicholson, II 12/11/2025

Jamie Carpenter 12/11/2025

Jamie Carpenter Welcome to where we highlight moments of wonder while working outdoors. This week, we have another interview with a wildland fire fighter. I met Jamie Carpenter on the Stoner Mesa fire this summer. Jamie was on the Cal-Wood fire five years ago, during another history-making fire season, this time complicated by the pandemic. Ten million acres burned across the western US. Thousands of homes were lost and dozens of people died. The Cal-Wood fire was towards the end of a vveerry long season. It was relatively small, eventually contained at about 10,000 acres, but it was right in Boulder County. So, that’s pretty scary. Also, it was going on when two of the biggest fires in Colorado history were raging. The Cameron Peak fire and the East Troublesome fire, both burned about 200,000 acres. That’s over 600 square miles. Jamie told me that typical days start with a 5:30 wake up, with breakfast and then meetings where they review the day’s game plan, in which weather, fire behavior, and safety aspects are discussed. For planning, they use the PACE acronym which stands Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency. You’ll hear it reference in Jamie’s account. As I witnessed at the Stoner fire, sometimes the terrain is just too gnarly to directly engage the fire. So, as you’ll hear, Jamie and the crew were conducting a firing, burning a limited number of acres in order to create a perimeter, to contain the approaching blaze. I asked Jamie how he got into wildland fire fighting and he said initially it was a good way to work outside and then have time off in the winter to ski. But then he added some thoughts. Awe, Nice! welcomes interviewees. If you have a moment you experienced while working outside and would like to share it, contact us . Our music is by my friend, Forrest Van Tuyl. You can find a link and a donate button Keep your eyes, ears, and mind open. Until next time. /episode/index/show/e436cd6d-bcd1-4cf7-9422-dae5704e652b/id/39364520

Doug Falconi, Part II 12/02/2025

Steve Nicholson, I 12/02/2025

Doug Falconi, Part I 12/01/2025

Nina Hance, II 11/14/2025

Nina Hance, I 11/14/2025

Awe, Nice!

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